A plane traveling from Dubai bound for Tel Aviv diverted over Jordan to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after falling over 17,000 feet mid-air.
The diversion occurred after a “violent incident” between two pilots on board the Flydubai flight, according to multiple outlets, including CNN. The details of the incident are still under investigation, but according to the Jerusalem Post, the additional flight crew and several passengers helped land the plane after the incident.
The Saudi Arabian aviation company Cluster2 said that Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk received a distress call from Flydubai flight number FZ1073, carrying 180 people, at about 8:44 a.m. local time, requesting an emergency landing.
“The flight landed safely at 09:45 local time, where it was found that the captain and first officer sustained injuries, and were immediately transferred to hospital to receive the necessary medical care,” Cluster2 said in a statement.
Israeli officials have suspected that the incident may have been a hijacking in an attempt at an act of terrorism, according to the Jerusalem Post, with officials telling the outlet that a “major disaster was narrowly avoided.”
A passenger onboard the flight told i24 News in a phone interview that “about an hour or two before landing, we just started to hear screams from the plane.”
“We just heard screams, and they opened the cockpit and saw large amounts of blood, from someone who had simply tried to murder the pilot and stabbed him with a pocketknife. Then the plane lost control,” Miriam, the passenger onboard the plane, told the outlet.
According to multiple outlets, including CNN, Israeli officials believe the co-pilot was the aggressor in the incident. The nationality of the pilots was not clear at time of publication.
“Flydubai can confirm that flight FZ 1073 operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) on 30 September experienced an incident while en route. The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk (TUU) and all passengers are safe and accounted for. The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority,” Flydubai said in a statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying the incident is “under control.”
“Following concerns over an aviation incident, Prime Minister Netanyahu held consultations on the matter and is monitoring developments,” Netanyahu’s office said. “The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel.”
There were over 100 Israeli passengers on the flight. Israeli officials are reportedly considering sending a plane to rescue the stranded passengers. However, the matter is complicated because Saudi Arabia does not have a diplomatic relationship with the Jewish state.
Between 1960 and 1980, aircraft hijackings were a popular tactic for terrorists to use against Israel. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or PFLP, would use these attacks to pressure Israel, including to force prisoner releases.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
